Hmm, according to my dictionary, "Hate" means "Intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger or sense of injury" or "extreme dislike or antipathy".
When did it change it's meaning to "Having no feelings one way or another to something I'm obsessively passionate about"?
I didn't like it but not because of the singing or the leaf, I thought those bits were good. I thought the 'aliens' were terrible and something you would see from the 2005 series, I thought the speech at the end was terribly cringey, it was difficult for me to watch. It's the sort of thing that really turns me of Doctor Who to be honest.
They just stand there talking for ages, in the meantime the enemy could have easily defeated the Doctor but just decides to listen to him? I think Moffatt tries to make the speeches 'epic' but I find them both cringey and annoying.
I don't think it compares to Love & Monsters but it is down there with my least favorite episodes.
No it doesn't compare with Love & Monsters - that's one of the best episodes whereas Rings is very poor.
A leaf did not 'kill a sun' as some people like to keep saying, and singing and sound waves etc were all part of how the whole culture evolved there (which people would know if they watched the episode without automatically wanting to hate it, or watched while tweeting etc)
I absolutely loved The Rings of Akhaten, despite not being that enthused about it before I saw it. I rate it as one of the best of Series 7, though that's not saying much, so I'll rate it as one of the best from the Moffat era - by no means the best, but definitely up there for me. Then again I adore the often panned The Beast Below, The Curse of the Black Spot and A Town Called Mercy as well
As a closer comparison I preferred it to Neil Cross's other episode Hide - which was still decent enough. I also preferred it to the two episodes on either side of it - Cold War disappointed me, and The Bells of Saint John ranks as one of the worst episodes I've ever seen.
Didn't like the songs the long songs. Cheap way of avoiding acting
I am pretty sure that the composing and orchestration of specially written new songs for the episode will have been slightly more expensive and hard work than just throwing a few more lines at the leads.
I loved the song. I thought there were some nice science-fiction ideas behind the episode. The plot had no proper shape, though, and the science was dodgy even for DW. I felt they had to shovel a bunch of arc elements into a story that was meant to be a sweet, light arty thing.
The story was poorly told. They were trying to show that Clara had a significant backstory and history but they failed to really tell us anything but that there was a "leaf". When they failed to bring more of the significance of Clara to light, the story dragged.
Otherwise, the episode was only so-so. I gave it a 5.
I liked it up until roughly the last ten minutes and the whole leaf business. It overplayed its hand in the same way that Nightmare in Silver did. Both episodes increased my admiration for Matt Smith who through force of conviction almost managed to hold the whole thing together.
It was all over the place and wasn't particularly eventful. I remember being so bored. I don't think it's as bad as I initially felt, but it's quite poor. The Doctor's exertion while using the sonic was ridiculous.
I really didn't like the episode when it first aired, I thought it was a stupid story and the song really got on my nerves.
After watching it more though I quite like it, The song is actually quite beautiful (although I still feel it seems a tad hamfisted in the actual episode) and its great to see an alien world just going about its day, something I hope we continue to see
I liked it up until roughly the last ten minutes and the whole leaf business. It overplayed its hand in the same way that Nightmare in Silver did. Both episodes increased my admiration for Matt Smith who through force of conviction almost managed to hold the whole thing together.
This. The leaf thing ruined the drama of the Doctor's offering of his memories and made Clara look more important and clever then him, which is ridiculous, though a tendency both RTD and Moffat have with the companions. Otherwise (apart from Clara's speeder ride) I loved it.
This. The leaf thing ruined the drama of the Doctor's offering of his memories and made Clara look more important and clever then him, which is ridiculous, though a tendency both RTD and Moffat have with the companions. Otherwise (apart from Clara's speeder ride) I loved it.
I like to think that the Sun was basically put to capacity by the Doctor's actions, fit to burst and then the leaf and Clara pushed it over the edge. After all, after absorbing way too much, all it needed was one final burst of raw emotional energy to push it over the edge.
Edited: Having watched a clip from Blink, this seems to make a lot more sense to an extent. The Weeping Angels feed off potential time energy and that's also what the leaf is a carrier of. The raw emotion, coupled with a bucketload of potential time energy, is too much for the Sun, after gorging itself to the point of no return on The Doctor's memories (it was clearly unable to finish the meal as the Doctor is still alive and with memories).
The Doctor, with all of the times that he changed billions of lives and the fate of the universe (The Genesis of The Daleks is a great example) did not have enough theoretical differential potential to destroy the monster, but a single leaf representing the change of a single life did?
Rings of Akhaten is one of my favorite episodes. I was very suprised when I saw how many people dislike this episode. Some of them include this episode in the worst episodes comparing it with episodes like Love and Monsters and Fear Her, but I never saw any explanation why...
People usually criticize singing and leaf. But what's wrong with singing and what's wrong with leaf? Singing gave the episode charisma and recognizability. And using symbolism of leaf is very immaginative and creative idea to solve the problem IMO (much better then shooting, fighting and explosions, like in some much more appreciated episodes).
Also, Rings of Akhaten has excellent memorable speech and is very emotional episode with good atmosphere and really good acting.
So, why people hate Rings of Akhaten so much?
People in general probably didn't hate the episode. The examples of Doctor Who fans on forums are the shows biggest enemy. They are always dissecting, analysing, hating, criticising, comparing and complaining when it comes to episodes. If they just accepted that the whole basis of the series is about a 900+ year old man who travels through time and space in wooden box that's bigger on the inside and just stopped looking for reasons to moan, they would enjoy every episode the way the majority of the viewers do.
I liked Akhaten. I didn't like Love and Monsters but only because it's a bit out of place and childish, but Fear Her really isn't that bad either. There are two groups of DW viewers. There is the group that just watches and enjoys. Then there is the other group who still think Tom Baker is the Doctor and that things will never be as good as it was back then. This same group will also complain if the show was axed even though they did nothing but complain about when it was on.
People in general probably didn't hate the episode. The examples of Doctor Who fans on forums are the shows biggest enemy. They are always dissecting, analysing, hating, criticising, comparing and complaining when it comes to episodes. If they just accepted that the whole basis of the series is about a 900+ year old man who travels through time and space in wooden box that's bigger on the inside and just stopped looking for reasons to moan, they would enjoy every episode the way the majority of the viewers do.
I liked Akhaten. I didn't like Love and Monsters but only because it's a bit out of place and childish, but Fear Her really isn't that bad either. There are two groups of DW viewers. There is the group that just watches and enjoys. Then there is the other group who still think Tom Baker is the Doctor and that things will never be as good as it was back then. This same group will also complain if the show was axed even though they did nothing but complain about when it was on.
Actually I have rated almost every episode anywhere from 7 to 10. With exception of love and monsters and fear her. I rated this one as bad as them.
Actually I have rated almost every episode anywhere from 7 to 10. With exception of love and monsters and fear her. I rated this one as bad as them.
Why the need to score an episode in the first place? I rate all episodes how I see them. Some weeks they're really good, other weeks maybe not quite so good. But all of them are great. I don't know why fans have to describe episodes as 7's or 10's or "crap writing" or "non-sensical" etc.
I didn't hate it but, as with most of Series 7, I discover that almost nothing about it has lingered in the memory. From what I recall: the resolution was heavy handed, there was no pace, it looked extremely cheap, Clara's ongoing lack of characterisation ran against the story. Not even Matt Smith could save this episode.
People in general probably didn't hate the episode. The examples of Doctor Who fans on forums are the shows biggest enemy. They are always dissecting, analysing, hating, criticising, comparing and complaining when it comes to episodes. If they just accepted that the whole basis of the series is about a 900+ year old man who travels through time and space in wooden box that's bigger on the inside and just stopped looking for reasons to moan, they would enjoy every episode the way the majority of the viewers do.
I liked Akhaten. I didn't like Love and Monsters but only because it's a bit out of place and childish, but Fear Her really isn't that bad either. There are two groups of DW viewers. There is the group that just watches and enjoys. Then there is the other group who still think Tom Baker is the Doctor and that things will never be as good as it was back then. This same group will also complain if the show was axed even though they did nothing but complain about when it was on.
So you don't actually like every episode like 'the majority' of viewers do then?!
I think there is also a third group which exists on this forum, and it's a very select minority, who seem to think that just because 'they' like an episode that 'everyone else' should like that episode(or story) too. It's almost as if they can't comprehend that other people actually don't like something they do.
As for hating episodes, I generally do hate this episode but never went into it wanting to dislike it. It didn't suit me but I would never for one moment diss other people's enjoyment of it.
As for for your Tom Baker comment I have yet to see anyone on this forum with that attitude. Yes there are people who prefer Classic Who but from what I've read over the years on here there is a general acceptance that the style of programming during the Classic Era will never come back.
Comments
QFT
This.
It even beat Fear Her and Love and Monsters as my "Worst episode of post 2005 Who"..
When did it change it's meaning to "Having no feelings one way or another to something I'm obsessively passionate about"?
No it doesn't compare with Love & Monsters - that's one of the best episodes whereas Rings is very poor.
A leaf did not 'kill a sun' as some people like to keep saying, and singing and sound waves etc were all part of how the whole culture evolved there (which people would know if they watched the episode without automatically wanting to hate it, or watched while tweeting etc)
As a closer comparison I preferred it to Neil Cross's other episode Hide - which was still decent enough. I also preferred it to the two episodes on either side of it - Cold War disappointed me, and The Bells of Saint John ranks as one of the worst episodes I've ever seen.
As for the singing, I love that too.
I am pretty sure that the composing and orchestration of specially written new songs for the episode will have been slightly more expensive and hard work than just throwing a few more lines at the leads.
:eek::eek:
That all sounds like a classic fairy tale plot to me.
Otherwise, the episode was only so-so. I gave it a 5.
After watching it more though I quite like it, The song is actually quite beautiful (although I still feel it seems a tad hamfisted in the actual episode) and its great to see an alien world just going about its day, something I hope we continue to see
This. The leaf thing ruined the drama of the Doctor's offering of his memories and made Clara look more important and clever then him, which is ridiculous, though a tendency both RTD and Moffat have with the companions. Otherwise (apart from Clara's speeder ride) I loved it.
I like to think that the Sun was basically put to capacity by the Doctor's actions, fit to burst and then the leaf and Clara pushed it over the edge. After all, after absorbing way too much, all it needed was one final burst of raw emotional energy to push it over the edge.
Edited: Having watched a clip from Blink, this seems to make a lot more sense to an extent. The Weeping Angels feed off potential time energy and that's also what the leaf is a carrier of. The raw emotion, coupled with a bucketload of potential time energy, is too much for the Sun, after gorging itself to the point of no return on The Doctor's memories (it was clearly unable to finish the meal as the Doctor is still alive and with memories).
Pretty much this.
I also disliked the overuse of the sonic.
The actual setting was pretty cool.
People in general probably didn't hate the episode. The examples of Doctor Who fans on forums are the shows biggest enemy. They are always dissecting, analysing, hating, criticising, comparing and complaining when it comes to episodes. If they just accepted that the whole basis of the series is about a 900+ year old man who travels through time and space in wooden box that's bigger on the inside and just stopped looking for reasons to moan, they would enjoy every episode the way the majority of the viewers do.
I liked Akhaten. I didn't like Love and Monsters but only because it's a bit out of place and childish, but Fear Her really isn't that bad either. There are two groups of DW viewers. There is the group that just watches and enjoys. Then there is the other group who still think Tom Baker is the Doctor and that things will never be as good as it was back then. This same group will also complain if the show was axed even though they did nothing but complain about when it was on.
Actually I have rated almost every episode anywhere from 7 to 10. With exception of love and monsters and fear her. I rated this one as bad as them.
Why the need to score an episode in the first place? I rate all episodes how I see them. Some weeks they're really good, other weeks maybe not quite so good. But all of them are great. I don't know why fans have to describe episodes as 7's or 10's or "crap writing" or "non-sensical" etc.
So you don't actually like every episode like 'the majority' of viewers do then?!
I think there is also a third group which exists on this forum, and it's a very select minority, who seem to think that just because 'they' like an episode that 'everyone else' should like that episode(or story) too. It's almost as if they can't comprehend that other people actually don't like something they do.
As for hating episodes, I generally do hate this episode but never went into it wanting to dislike it. It didn't suit me but I would never for one moment diss other people's enjoyment of it.
As for for your Tom Baker comment I have yet to see anyone on this forum with that attitude. Yes there are people who prefer Classic Who but from what I've read over the years on here there is a general acceptance that the style of programming during the Classic Era will never come back.